I started adding this one surprising ingredient to my morning eggs to boost my protein intake

Social media is a great way to discover new ways to eat healthily (hello, dense bean salad), and something that's been all over my feed lately is cottage cheese eggs.

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of eggs before, but as a running coach, I understand the importance of protein intake and the nutritional benefits of eggs, so I resolved to give cottage cheese eggs a try. I'm glad it did because it's changed my view on eggs.

How to add cottage cheese to your eggs

Lots of people have been putting cottage cheese into their copycat Starbucks egg bites and other similar egg dishes, but I decided to branch out and try something a bit different than what I had been seeing on my feed.

If you are looking for a quick way to amp up the protein content of your eggs then by all means, scramble two eggs, toss in a few tablespoons of cottage cheese, mix in your favorite seasoning and cook in a skillet like normal.

But for less texture and more flavor, try this. Add two eggs, a few tablespoons of cottage cheese, fresh herbs, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a pinch of pepper to a blender and let it whirl until the mixture looks smooth.

I like using the blender because it helps make the mixture smooth and creamy. When the mixture is cooked you won’t even be able to tell that it has cottage cheese in it.

I should note that the eggs will require a bit longer to cook than usual since there is a lot of moisture in cottage cheese, but once the cottage cheese melts it results a creamy spoonful of eggs.

Why add cottage cheese?

First up, there's a good dose of protein in just one serving of cottage cheese. A typical serving is about half a cup and contains around 13g of protein. For reference, a scoop of protein powder is usually around 20g of protein. I highly prefer this whole food option over a powder.

That's because cottage cheese also has a good amount of calcium and vitamin D which is great for bone health, which is especially important if you're an amateur athlete or if you're older and at risk of osteoporosis.

While some cottage cheese does contain a decent amount of fat, you can choose which percentage of fat product to use based on your nutritional needs.